The Dawn of a Clash-Fragment ⏀
Volmeryn, after obtaining the drakara's heart and strengthening its draconic essence, had also gained new allies. Lysandros, Arelon, Erylis, Seraphon, and Nethrath had pledged allegiance to him by relinquishing their titles of dragon kings to serve him. It was a double victory for him.
Volmeryn had left the Celestial Realm with his new subordinates and was now heading to his own realm.
After a few hours of flight, whoosh, whoosh, they arrived at their destination. The gates of his kingdom were opened in recognition of their king, and then they entered. They proceeded to the strategy room, where the leaders of the various armies of his kingdom were kneeling to welcome him.
He introduced them to the kingdom's new allies and soldiers.
Trôk: «Your majesty! Welcome, we were worried about you. We are happy to see you back in good condition.»
Lyara: «Master Volmeryn! Good to see you in good shape.»
Carlos: «Ah! Welcome back to the kingdom, King Volmeryn.»
Darius: «I welcome you, my king.»
Volmeryn: «Hahaha! Trôk, Lyara, Darius, and Carlos, I present to you our new companions. They are dragons just like me—even if I am more powerful than them... Hahaha!»
«Introduce yourselves.»
Lysandros: «Ahem. Hello, I'm Lysandros, the dragon of time.»
Aleron: «Tsk. I am Aleron, dragon of entropy.»
Sepharon: «Hmph. Then I am Seraphon, dragon of the spirit.»
Eirlys: «Sigh. I am Eirlys, dragon of life and death.»
Nethrath: «Heh. I am Nethrath, the infinity dragon.»
Trôk and the other soldiers were amazed by the charisma of the new allies, they had the same elegant posture as the dragon king Volmeryn since they had the same nature.
Trôk: «You are welcome to our kingdom, I am the leader of the goblins of this kingdom, and we have an army of a hundred thousand.»
Lyara: «Welcome to you, I am Lyara, the elf magician who leads the troops of magicians and efes in the kingdom. We have ten thousand magicians on our staff. Few mortals have had the honor of marching alongside dragons. I look forward to learning from you.»
Darius: «I welcome you to our home. I am the vampire duke Darius, the leader of the vampire troops. We have five thousand five hundred vampires in our strength.»
Carlos: «I also welcome you, dear dragons. I am Carlos, a demon emperor.»
Trôk: «These new allies are powerful, but such power must be closely monitored.»
After the introductions, Volmeryn raised his hand, and the runes carved into the stones of the realm began to glow with a purple glow. "Vrrrrrr..." The air hummed with energy. These ancient symbols, which belonged to a forgotten language of the dragons, slowly rose into the air, forming a luminous circle around the new allies.
The runes began to sing with a deep, deep sound. "Oooooom... Oooooom..." It was like an ancestral melody. This song resonated in the being of each dragon present, evoking their millennial heritage and their place in the draconic hierarchy.
FWOOM! After taking the oath, each dragon deposited a fragment of its dragon essence in the center of a stone circle. These fragments, orbs of light with unique colors, represented their element or specialty (Time, Infinity, Entropy, etc.), merging into a luminous vortex.
This vortex was absorbed by Volmeryn, increasing its power dramatically. Absorption was visibly trying for him, but he mastered it with great determination.
The vortex swirling and crackling like an untamed storm. After the last oath, Volmeryn made his way to a central stele adorned with an ancient dragon crown. This crown was formed of onyx spikes and shone with a divine glow.
The runes lit up around him with a light surrounding the crown. Fwooum! A powerful explosion of energy accompanied the light. CRRAAAAWWRR! A roar coming from him reverberated throughout the kingdom as if the essence of the thousand-year-old dragons blessed this moment.
Volmeryn placed the crown on his head and his aura became almost unbearable even to the other dragons. WHOOOOOM! The pressure in the air thickened, and the ground seemed to tremble as his power reached a new pinnacle.
The ceremony was finally over, the dragoons stood up and looked at their new ruler. Some, like Lysandros, accepted their new role with noble dignity.
Lysandros: «Even the runes have accepted your dominion, Volmeryn . But I will keep watch, for strength alone does not make a king.»
Arelon: «At least, with you, we fly under an invincible banner. It's better to be on the winning side than the opposite.»
Volmeryn: «You are now my subjects. Together, we will redefine this world... and far beyond.»
As silence fell after the ceremony ended, whooosh... a faint gust of wind stirred as the strange shadow that had watched them in the Drakara Valley reappeared in the heights of the kingdom.
A deep, distant voice whispered through this shadow from a higher plane where the world of the gods resides:
«Funny... Let's see how far this young dragon will go.»
Shhhhhh... The shadow move like smoke. That being who spoke through this shadow was Lucifer, who was watching the scene with an interest mixed with contempt and curiosity, which hinted at divine involvement in Volmeryn's future.
Somewhere in another world called Thanar,
a figure sitting on a throne also observed Volmeryn's every move with curiosity. He gave orders to her subordinates:
«Zalkaroth, you with your lieutenants are going to storm the kingdom of Volmeryn which is called Cælora, take with you in our army a thousand demons, I want you to test the strength of this kingdom»
Zalkaroth replied with a bow of his head:
«Well, Lord Thanatos, we will carry out your orders, I will prepare the escort.»
The sky above the kingdom of Cælora was getting darker and darker.
The peasants abandoned their fields to barricade themselves in their houses while the soldiers on the walls of the fortress stood by but trembled despite their discipline. Everyone knew what such an atmosphere meant: the arrival of enemies on the horizon.
In the throne room, Volmeryn was asleep on his imposing throne. Suddenly, several events of a demon emperor who is ransacking the kingdom paraded before his eyes, which woke him up with a sharp intake of breath.
Volmeryn: «Hmmm… I suddenly have a bad feeling…»
The mechanical voice of the system suddenly echoed in his mind:
[Master, the demon emperor Zalkaroth has broken through the dimensional barriers. A thousand demons are marching after him and heading towards your realm.]
Volmeryn: «Apparently my hunch turns out to be true... tch... »
A slight smile appeared on his lips, followed by a low chuckle, "Heh." He raised his hand and ordered his subordinates in the room to come closer:
«See, my faithful. The demon emperor Zalkaroth dared to defile our kingdom, Cælora, by crossing our borders with the intention of declaring war. A demonic army? Hah! What audacity...»
Volmeryn: «Lysandros, Arelon, Erylis, Seraphon, Nethrath...Show this usurper why this kingdom belongs to me. Make him regret having existed.»
— Lysandros (with a mocking smile): «Heh! Zalkaroth doesn't know what he's up against. Time itself is my plaything.»
— Arelon : « It's time for him to discover the end. »
— Erylis : « A demonic army? What an offense. I will purify their existence. »
Without another word, shhrrrk, Seraphon and Nethrath sprang forward, followed by the others.
Volmeryn watched the demonic army's movements through a crystalline sphere that floated in front of him in the throne room. Every demon, every lieutenant was visible as if he were standing on the battlefield himself.
One of his advisors, a stocky man dressed in silver armor, approached with heavy footsteps, clank clank, visibly nervous about the situation.
«Your Majesty, the dragoons have taken flight. But... Zalkaroth and his lieutenants are formidable forces. We discovered that they come from the world of Thanar and have a connection to the god Thanatos that gives them a power that even our best fighters could...»
Whoosh! Volmeryn raised a hand to order the advisor to be silent immediately, his gaze sharp as he stared at the horizon through the large windows of the throne room.
— Volmeryn : « They believe that it all comes down to brute force. Zalkaroth thinks that marching on my realm is a mere formality and a demonstration of power for his master. But he forgets one essential thing. »
The councillor bowed his head.
« And which one, your Majesty? »
— Volmeryn : « It's not about what you see but about what you don't see. »
With a wave of his hand, fwssh, he brought up a holographic map of the kingdom where every mountain, river, and village was represented with great precision. Glowing symbols shone in various places on the map, bzzzzt, marking strategic points.
— Volmeryn : « I have spent years building this kingdom, linking its essence to my own existence. Every stone, every object responds to me. Zalkaroth believes that he is marching on conquered territory, but he has already fallen into my trap. »
He pointed to a precise point on the map, it was a valley bordered by mountains.
— Volmeryn: «This plain is their apparent objective. An advantageous position, they believe. But they don't know that beneath their feet are energy flaws that I control.»
Volmeryn turned to a black-robed mage who was in the background:
«Ashtarr, activate the seals on the faults. Prevent the demonic energy from stabilizing. I want their magic to start backfiring as soon as they settle down.»
The magician bowed: «It will be done, your majesty. »
— Volmeryn: «The dragons I sent are just a taste. Their role is to test their strengths and sow doubt. It is only when they return that I will really strike.»
Elzareth, a city in the kingdom usually bustling with markets and children playing through the alleys, was beginning to become deserted. The inhabitants had gathered around the stone altar in the center of the city, their eyes riveted on the flames of a huge inferno. This sacred fire was linked to the power of the Dragon King and was reputed to reflect the balance of the kingdom. Today, the flames were dying.
Whoosh. Crackle. The fire crackling with faint sparks.
Murmurs were heard in the crowd:
«The fire is getting weak... That means the Dragon King is in danger, right?» said an old woman.
A man dressed in a uniform of the royal guard placed a comforting hand on the old lady's shoulder:
«The Dragon King never falters. He is preparing. You'll see, he'll destroy these demons as he always has.»
But despite his words to reassure the old lady, the soldier himself could not help but tremble.
He was one of the few who really knew what was going on on the borders of the kingdom. They had learned that messages from the outposts spoke of demonic hordes, dark skies, and villages wiped out before the inhabitants could even flee.
Not far from the soldier there was a young woman who was holding her child close to her. The boy, barely six years old, looked at the flames with curiosity:
«Mom, why has the fire become so small? The Dragon King no longer protects the kingdom?»
The woman gently stroked her son's hair and tried to hide her concern:
«The Dragon King always protects us, my treasure. This fire, however weak, is also a sign that it is watching over us. He will guide us to victory, my child.»
But deep down, there was a great fear. If Volmeryn failed, what would they have left?
The demonic army advanced, corrupting everything in its path. At their head, Zalkaroth stood straight. Behind him, his lieutenants followed, each possessing a sinister aura.
Thud. Thud. Thud. The ground trembled with each step of their March. Zalkaroth raised a hand, halting his army's advance.
— Zalkaroth: «So, this is where the so-called dragon king built his empire... Pathetic.»
His gaze turned to Khral'thar, one of his lieutenants:
«Thanatos has sent us on a clear mission: to destroy this usurper and seize his kingdom. It is time for the world of Thanar to expand its influence across these dimensions.»
— Khral'thar (sneering): «A dragon king? His legends are overrated. Hah! This Volmeryn is only a mortal praised by his worshippers. I will reduce him to dust and carry his head to Lord Thanatos.»
At his side, another Sythranix lieutenant watched calmly.
«Don't be so quick to underestimate him, Khral'thar. Stories of Thanar have spoken of him as a potential scourge for our world. But he is nothing in the face of the will of our god.»
Crackle. Fwoom! Thrazar, the Master of the Abyssal Flames, folded his arms in a growl, flames licking at his gauntlets:
«It is seldom that Thanatos deigns to send us on a mission. Consider this an honor, Zalkaroth. Failure is out of the question.»
The last lieutenant, Vorrak the Shattered, remained silent. Clink. Clank. Black chains wrapped around his mutilated body.
Zalkaroth spoke again:
«Volmeryn and his dragons believe they have conquered this dimension. But the world of Thanar is limitless. We are subordinates of the god of death. We are the messengers of nothingness. Hmph. And today, this kingdom will be the first to bend to our will.»
But at that moment, Brrrmmm! a titanic clock, made of moving galaxies, appeared above the demonic army. Time seemed to stop.
Ting... Ting... Ting... The sound of chimes resonated as the clock pulsed with cosmic energy.